The Great Controversy The Great Controversy | Page 595
conflict. To every soul will come the searching test: Shall I obey God
rather than men? The decisive hour is even now at hand. Are our feet
planted on the rock of God’s immutable word? Are we prepared to stand
firm in defense of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus?
Before His crucifixion the Saviour explained to His disciples that He
was to be put to death and to rise again from the tomb, and angels were
present to impress His words on minds and hearts. But the disciples
were looking for temporal deliverance from the Roman yoke, and they
could not tolerate the thought that He in whom all their hopes centered
should suffer an ignominious death. The words which they needed to
remember were banished from their minds; and when the time of trial
came, it found them unprepared. The death of Jesus as fully destroyed
their hopes as if He had not forewarned them. So in the prophecies the
future is opened before us as plainly as it was opened to the disciples by
the words of Christ. The events connected with the close of probation
and the work of preparation for the time of trouble, are clearly presented.
But multitudes have no more understanding of these important truths
than if they had never been revealed. Satan watches to catch away every
impression that would make them wise unto salvation, and the time of
trouble will find them unready.
When God sends to men warnings so important that they are
represented as proclaimed by holy angels flying in the midst of heaven,
He requires every person endowed with reasoning powers to heed the
message. The fearful judgments denounced against the worship of the
beast and his image (Revelation 14:9-11), should lead all to a diligent
study of the prophecies to learn what the mark of the beast is, and how
they are to avoid receiving it. But the masses of the people turn away
their ears from hearing the truth and are turned unto fables. The apostle
Paul declared, looking down to the last days: “The time will come when
they will not
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